


Liquid Courage

by NewRageInc



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Character Death, Drama, F/M, I'm doing my best, Romance, because I enjoyed it last time around, but let's stick to the comfort zone on that, likely a happy ending, naruto/ino - Freeform, not a lot of research, or an unsatisfying one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 01:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14509719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewRageInc/pseuds/NewRageInc
Summary: TW:alcoholism. Hinata was CFO at 25. An accomplished pianist. Fit, lovely, and a real pleasure per Forbes 30 Under 30. So having to defend herself from a complete stranger and making sure they understand that there are no issues with her drinking seems fair because no issues are present! Though how she met said stranger may be evidence to the contrary. sasuhina.





	Liquid Courage

**Chapter One**

It was dark but the world was still spinning.

Why was it spinning? It shouldn't be spinning, or at least she shouldn't feel it spin with it being so dark. Right?

Her limbs felt both like Jell-O and lead at her side. Out of control but still where they were brushing against the soft fabric of her blouse. Hinata wished she were home and only realized with a start and the harsh tapping of a finger nail on glass that she was  _not_  home.

She blinked repeatedly, her vision slowly coming back to her and clearing to reveal the sleek black interior of her father's Audi RS 5. Her stomach churned uncomfortably in her abdomen before it dropped down to her toes in a panic.

" _Where…"_

"Hey!" She startled in her seat, clarity coming over her like a blanket as her brain started registering what she was sure her senses had been screaming at her for a while. The cars safety system was pinging at her, the radio was garbling in the background and the air conditioner was blasting cool air into her face, whirring loudly in her ears. The tapping next to her became incessant as whoever was trying to get her attention.

She stared down at the buttons to her right, squinting down at the symbols before figuring out which one would let the window down. Somewhere at the back of her mind a more coherent her was yelling at her that this was a bad idea and she should've just kept the windows up but she mostly wanted the tapping to stop and for someone to please tell her how she ended up her father's brand new sports car drunk off her ass at….

" _Two thirty in the morn- What-"_

"You smell like a bar," a gruff voice growled at her. She forced her eyes closed hard before blinking rapidly and willing her vision to stay clear enough so she could get a look at the person who was still scolding her. "How did you get here?"

"I-I…. I'm not sure." She heard the doors unlock and muggy night air hit her with a force, head spinning as the scent of the inner city hit her with all its sewer-y glory.

Warm hands pushed hair from her forehead, her bangs sticking miserably to her sweaty skin. Hinata couldn't help leaning into the touch. A soft swear from this man standing at her door forced her to keep her eyes from fluttering shut and back asleep.

"You're wasted."

She couldn't find the words to deny or defend her actions. She mumbled an apology and her head lolled forward as the darkness started to creep back in to her vision. The world was still spinning and she just wanted it to stop. If she fell asleep then she could feel a little better. Just a little sleep would help her get passed the spinning and sober her up some…

* * *

Sasuke frowned.

When he'd walked out of his shift tonight all he could think about was crawling into his bed, he could almost feel the smooth coolness of his sheets sliding across his skin when he spotted the car idling in the center lane a few blocks down from the city's more popular strip. There was something just off enough for him to decide to investigate.

He slowed his motorcycle down to a stop, vision narrowing as he examined the car for any signs of it being involved in a wreck. The sleek blue of the car's paint was just as pristine as it likely had been on the show room flow, street lights shining off of it and giving off the impression he was in the middle of some type of commercial shoot. He looked over his shoulder half expecting a camera man to be yelling at him about ruining a shot but the streets were empty. The only sounds were those of the idling engine of this car and the distant laughs of the people at the strip who were starting to make their ways home for the night.

Sasuke cut the engine of his bike, dismounting and placing his helmet aside as he decided to chance an even closer look.

His brow furrowed in confusion at the sight in front of him. A girl, young woman really, was hunched over the steering wheel of the car. Her body rose and fell slightly as she was slumped forward, the only thing keeping her from resting her body on the steering wheel was the seat belt strapped across her chest. He swore under his breath when he realized that she was passed out.

Some rooky bartender over served her and watched her walk out of their bar without a second thought to her safety or the safety of those around her. How she managed to make it out of wherever this car had been parked and in to the middle of the street to pass out without scratching her vehicle was beyond him and he wasn't about to allow her to continue to tempt fate.

He started tapping on the window. He could see her stir at the noise and look around in confusion. Her eyes were very obviously not focused on anything and it took her way too long to figure out how to lower the window of the car. She sighed when the window finally started to lower and the stench of booze was heavy on her breathe.

"You smell like a bar." He couldn't help the almost snarl of his voice as he took her in. She was pretty and he was thankful for whoever was looking out for her up in heaven since based off of her appearance she seemed like she'd gotten to her car alright. She's lucky considering the obviously designer clothing she was wearing and the fancy leather purse carelessly thrown in the passenger seat. Top that with the fancy car and her obvious inebriated state she was a prime target for any desperate person. "How did you get here?"

"I-I… I'm not sure." Her brows knit together and her eyes started to flutter as she swayed in her seat. Her voice was a soft murmur, breathy and sweet though he attributed the breathiness to the effort it must be taking for her to speak without a slur. She was fighting a losing battle at that. He reached over to her, keeping one hand on her shoulder to steady her and the other to press her sweaty hair out of the way of her eyes. She leaned into his touch and she was much more gone than he was letting himself believe. "You're wasted."

She didn't say anything after that and before Sasuke could shake her back away she was slumped into her seat and dead to the world. Her chest rising and falling with the steady breaths of someone who was passed out. He bit his tongue and looked around again.

No cops.

Okay. He could help.

Naruto was going to get a kick out of this when he got home tonight.

* * *

Warm.

She felt warm.

But the world felt wrong.

Then tension in her forehead increased tenfold when she attempted to open her eyes. Once she had them open the light that blinded her made her regret ever waking up in the first place. She pulled the sheet cover her over her head and groaned into her pillow.

How on  _earth_  did she make it home last night?

In the darkness of the covers something was off. The smell she hadn't quite noticed before now enveloped her. Soap and deodorant and something a little tangy like sweat. Smells that were most decidedly not what she usually smelled in her own bed. The distant noises of people talking caused her to shoot up in her spot, throwing the covers off of her as the decidedly  _male_  voices grew closer to the closed door. A shock as all her own roommates were female they last time they discussed it.

On the nightstand she spotted her purse that she grabbed and dug around frantically before settling back into her seat. Heart rate slowly coming back down to a resting rate as her wallet, keys, and phone were all present and accounted for. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking down at herself and seeing she was still in the clothes she had walked out of her father's office the day prior.

Surprisingly her phone hadn't died over night but that was likely due to the fact that she had turned it off when she'd essentially stolen her father's car. She had a few irate text messages from her father and one from her sister and Sakura asking if she was alright. The latter sent in the wee hours in the morning likely when they noticed that she hadn't come home for the night.

Hinata noticed a glass of water and some pain killers on the nightstand where her purse had been resting. Her forehead throbbed at her skull and she winced as she reached for the medicine and forced the pills and water down her throat. She let her eyes wander the walls as she drank taking in the room.

It was simple. Not unlike her own. Cream colored walls bare of adornment and beige carpet that had seen better days but was clean for the most part. The sheets she had been wrapped in were a navy blue, cool and smooth against her skin as she ran her hand over the fitted sheet beneath her. She was eyeing the window at the corner of the room as a possible escape route when the door creaked open.

She couldn't help clutching at the sheet under her hand as the figure of a tall, slender man appeared at the threshold though at this point he really could've done what he wanted with her and literally thrown her in a dumpster without it ever coming back to him.

He took up the entirety of the threshold, his back was ramrod straight as he blinked and frowned in her direction. The line of his chin was cut sharply and the bridge of his nose was straight. Handsome was what came to mind when Hinata finally decided on what to think of him. The most striking of his features being the contrast to his coloring. His skin was pale and smooth and his hair and eyebrows were as dark as a crow's feathers.

"You're awake." The frown didn't leave his face when he spoke and the gruffness of his voice stirred a memory from the night prior that flickered and died as quickly as a fire's ember. He didn't seem unkind but the was he was almost glowering at her made her aware of his annoyance with her.

"I uh-"

"What were you thinking?" He snapped, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head back to glare at her over his nose. "You were  _trashed_  and if I hadn't found you, you would've been in deep shit."

She gaped at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. She floundered as he continued in his chastisement. "You're lucky I'm decent people, you could have easily been found by someone else and robbed, raped, and  _killed_. Are you fucking insane?"

He hadn't moved from his spot, chest rising and falling rapidly with each breath. She blinked up at him, surprised at being scolded by a stranger in said stranger's room and  _bed_. She opened her mouth to retort but a wave of nausea struck her so suddenly she slammed a hand over her mouth to keep her from throwing up on his carpet. "Bathroom?" She asked, voice muffled by her own hand as she swallowed back bile with everything she had.

His shoulders slumped, annoyance replaced with concern as he gestured to an open door behind him.

* * *

"She's been in there for a while."

"Like you haven't when you've been hung over as shit."

Naruto craned his neck over the arm of the couch to peer down the hall way as the water from the shower came on.

"She's going to shower?"

"I would too if I were her. Helps a little."

But not as much as you would hope.

Sasuke busied himself in the kitchen, staring at their embarrassingly sparse pantry for something that may help this lady settle her stomach without being too heavy to where she would just throw it up again. He had started to inspect a loaf of bread for mold when he heard Naruto from the living room.

"You're alive!" He could hear his pseudo brother's grin from where he stood and couldn't help the quirk of his lips at the sound. Naruto was annoying for the most part but it was part of the reason Sasuke loved him so much. Though he would never admit this out loud to anyone.

The girl responded, soft almost whispered words and before Sasuke could put the offending loaf back in the pantry Naruto had already ushered their guest into their small kitchen and offered her a place at their second hand table. He had already pushed her into a seat and then almost ran out of the kitchen like a whirlwind, leaving both of them alone.

They stared at each other awkwardly before he cleared his throat and started fixing her a cup of coffee. He came over and set the cup down in front of her before taking the seat next to hers. "Are you feeling any better?"

She took the coffee into her hands, warming her fingers on the mug before bringing up to her mouth and taking a tentative sip. "I am." He nodded eyeing the clock on the wall. He'd have to go to class soon. She cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her.

Her hair was dark as midnight, falling limply across her shoulders, heavy and still dripping from her hasty shower. She was pale, a little washed out in his opinion but he probably wouldn't look too hot if he went on a bender like she did the night prior. She was looking down at her cup, brow still furrowed and eyes cast downward, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks as she started to speak.

"I can't… begin to thank you enough for uh…. Saving me. I guess." She bit her lip, worrying the chapped skin before she looked directly in the eye for the first time since he'd dragged her out of her car. He was struck by how light her eye color was, he felt like they seemed familiar but couldn't quite place them as she continued. "I can p-pay you for the inconvenience."

He snorted. Rolling his eyes and remembering the expensive purse in her lap and the sports car he'd manage to get into a parallel spot in the city before taking off with her on his bike. As annoying as it was having to hold her unconscious body in front of him the few blocks to his apartment, carrying her up the three flights of stairs to his room, and sleeping on the couch there was something about being compensated monetarily for his troubles that left an acidic taste in his mouth. The idea of it reminded him too much of his brother.

"Keep it. You can't just throw money at people and expect everything to be okay." He said a little more harshly than he'd intended, this based off of the way she flinched at his response.

"I-I-"

"I know you had just woken up before but I meant what I said. You're really fucking lucky," he made a point of slowly roving his eyes over her before continuing. "In more ways than one. I hope you'll think twice before you get wasted like that in public and try to drive home."

Her body slumped into her chair. "I know." She whispered. "Not my best." He scoffed.

"What's your name? Mine's Sasuke." He pushed himself up and took her abandoned coffee mug from in front of her.

"Hinata." He heard her call after him as he dumped their mugs in the sink to be washed later and headed back out to the living room.

"Well, Hinata, I work down town so rest assured I'll be keeping an eye out for you so you better not pull this shit again." He felt a little silly, lecturing a stranger but he couldn't help it. This situation mirrored one too close to home and he'd be damned if he was going to sit back and let someone else kill themselves without at least saying  _something_. He pulled his jacket off the couch and helmet from the coffee table. Naruto poked his head out of his room and grinned.

"You heading out?"

"Yup." Hinata trailed in uncertainly behind him, looking around the living room like a lost child.

"My uh…"

"Your car is downtown. I didn't want to leave my bike, much easier to steal. I'll give you a ride back." Her eyes widened a fraction and he swears he could hear her take a gulp but she nodded without a peep of complaint and followed him obediently out of the apartment and down the stairs to where his bike was kept in the alley way.

* * *

Hinata was glad she had worn slacks the day prior as she couldn't imagine herself being perched on the top of Sasuke's motorcycle in the clothing her father usually preferred her to be in for their meetings. Her headache was persistent and she felt both hot and cold. Hot from the embarrassment of being in this situation, though she's the only one to blame for that and chilled likely from the hangover she was still fighting off.

This one was the worst one yet. She may lay off for a while.

Her fingers gripped at the soft leather of Sasuke's jacket. She'd probably feel more secure if she wrapped her arms around his torso but she was already struggling with the fact that she was straddling him from behind as he zipped through city streets to get her back to her car. When they had gotten to the bike he had slapped his helmet on to her head and told her to hold on tight. It seemed he didn't have a spare as he went without, spiky hair tickling her nose as it moved with the wind.

Her car was where she remembered parking it the night prior so she apparently hadn't gone too far when he'd found her passed out behind the wheel. He pulled up behind the car and cut the engine of the bike. She was thankful that he didn't just demand she get off without him stopping completely or else she was sure she would've ended up face first on the asphalt.

Hinata handed over his helmet, more sober than she had been in a while as he continued to look down at her disapprovingly. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her feel like he could see more than just this stupid situation at hand. She pushed her hair behind her ears and ducked her head demurely, reminiscent of how she typically acted around her father when she knew she'd done wrong.

" _Well since he didn't take my offer for money…"_  An idea struck her and she dug through her purse before finding her business card and extended it out to him.

"I know you said you don't want the money…" His eyes narrowed at the card and he made no move to reach for it. "But I do owe you," she continued, "a lot. So please…"

He finally took the card from her, slender fingers flipping it over to read the fine script her father's secretary had picked out for her. His brows shooting up when he saw the company logo on the card and Hinata's job title. Before he could comment on it she gave a short bob of her head in a half bow and jumped into her car, locking the door with a resonating click.

She couldn't quite read his expression as he pushed the card into the pocket of his jeans. He gave her window one more hard look before shoving his helmet back on to his head and speeding off.

She wasn't sure when her heart rate had sped up, pounding incessantly into her ears, until his retreating form was finally out of sight and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. She leaned her head back on to the plush leather of the seat, closing her eyes to collect her thoughts.

She missed their morning meeting.

She had expense reports to review.

Her father was probably livid she took his newest car.

She took a steadying breath, turning the car on with a push of a button and pulling into traffic. She rummaged in her purse for a few moments before finding the flask she'd started keeping handy when she officially started working under her father.

" _Just to take the edge off. I'll be okay.'_

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to always drink responsibly. This is all guess work. Part of the fantasy. Here we go.


End file.
